How A Hashtag Started A New Era And Led To Evolution, The First All-Women's PPV For WWE

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Female Superstars gather for the first-ever all-women's Royal Rumble announcement

WWE

Three years ago, after a women's match that last just 30 seconds, fans demanded more from WWE with the hashtag #GiveDivasAChance, which trended worldwide for three days. Fans wanted longer matches that better highlighted the athleticism of its female talent.

And WWE delivered. At WrestleMania 32 a rebranding of the Divas Division was announced, making way for the Women's Division with a new championship title more similar to the men's. It was also announced that the women would be called Superstars, like the men, retiring the Divas moniker.

Since then, we've seen the creation of the Mae Young Classic, an all-women's tournament, and the first-ever women's Royal Rumble, Hell in a Cell and Money in the Bank matches.

Tonight, the women have their first-ever all-women's pay-per-view, Evolution. An apt name for an era in WWE that's had global implications.

There's also been a trickle-down effect that goes beyond the Raw and SmackDown rosters. Currently, 30% of the Performance Center roster is female, with 40% of those women being internationally diverse, hailing from 12 countries and speaking seven different languages. The increased representation at the developmental level will no doubt be reflected at the highest level soon enough, as 70% of the female talent on the Raw and SmackDown rosters comes from the Performance Center.

In just three years, the number of women on the Superstars roster has nearly doubled, from 28 to 50. WWE has also hired three female coaches and its first female referee.

It's obvious the fan demand is there for the female Superstars when you look at social media. Five WWE female Superstars rank in the top 10 most-followed female athletes on Facebook:

Maria Sharapova – 15 million

Ronda Rousey – 11 million

Saina Nehwal – 7.9 million

Nikki Bella – 7.7 million

Serena Williams – 5.3 million

Brie Bella – 4.9 million

Anna Kournikova – 3.3 million

Stephanie McMahon – 3.2 million

Ana Ivanovic – 3.2 million

Natalya – 3.1 million

And the phenomenon isn't limited to Facebook. Five WWE female Superstar accounts rank in the top 10 most-followed female athletes on Twitter:

Serena Williams – 10.5 million

Maria Sharapova – 8.7 million

Ronda Rousey – 3.6 million

Alex Morgan – 3.6 million

Bellas – 3.4 million

Caroline Wozniacki – 3.1 million

Ana Ivanovic – 2.8 million

Stephanie McMahon – 2.8 million

Paige – 2.1 million

Natalya – 2 million

Five WWE female Superstars rank in the top 10 most-followed female athletes on Instagram, with Ronda Rousey leading the list:

Ronda Rousey – 11 million

Serena Williams – 8.9 million

Nikki Bella – 7.5 million

Brie Bella – 6.1 million

Alex Morgan – 5.2 million

Paige – 4.8 million

Sania Mirza – 4.7 million

Natalie Eva Marie – 3.9 million

Sasha Banks – 3.4 million

The spotlight will be on the women tonight in the first-ever all-women's pay-per-view. Confirmed matches for tonight's WWE Evolution include:

Evolution, the first-ever all-women's pay-per-view, will take place on Sunday, October 28 at 7 p.m. ET from NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in New York. The event will stream live on WWE Network and be available on pay-per-view around the world.